So I’m up, wandering around just relaxing until 9am when I can call to see about a new tire. A few doors down is a heavily loaded bike.
This looked to be interesting. I checked it out from the saddle bags and trunk around to the other side. He came out and we chatted for a few minutes. He was on a 2 year world tour and had hit some 116 countries on the bike. He was originally from South Africa and was heading to New York to fly home. We talked about riding and tires. He talked about being down in South America and being charged an outrageous sum for gas because he was a foreigner. At times he was also told there wasn’t any gas even though there were people filling up. Sounds like an adventure 🙂
At 9am I gave Donnells Motorcycle’s a call. Not only did they have the right tire (I’d checked their site; they had a few Hayabusa’s in stock so I was hopeful), they had the right Sport-Touring tire vs a Sport tire. It’s a Dunlop dual compound but it’s certainly a tire. I’d been warned off of them years ago (Dunlops I mean) so I was a little tentative but still, it’s a replacement so I’m happy. While they were changing my tire, one of the sales guys was chatting (the old guys exchange 🙂 ) about rides they’d gone on and commenting on my 112,070 miles. He was showing me a few older bikes they had stashed in the back and then he showed me a (I think he said) 1961 Harley. The front plate called it a Teleglide. I wasn’t in the best shape but it didn’t look more than well used vs found sitting in a barn somewhere.
We exchanged stories until my bike was ready. I paid my fee ($270; the tire was on sale too!) and headed out towards Indianapolis.
Near Booneville Missouri at a rest stop, I found I needed to stop and take a break. Drinking water from the camelbak tends to cause more stops, especially if it’s not so hot that you’re sweating some of it out.
While it’d been getting hotter, it only started getting humid enough to recognize as I got to Columbia Missouri. It’s a different feeling when your gear is cool but damp all the time. I’d neglected to get a bike charger for my iPhone/iPad so I picked up a replacement from the truck stop. It was only $11 though; so much for the $29 official one at the Apple Store 🙂
Another effort to be prepared before running through a more metropolitan area. I stopped out side of St Louis to gas up. Once I was heading north on 95 and was running low while in the middle of New York on the freeway. Fortunately there was a hole in the wall station but it’s not somewhere I’d normally stop so I try to anticipate (I need to do more of that with tires 🙂 ).
Only a couple of more hours before I’m in Indianapolis and at the hotel.
Still in Illinois (Marshall). The run from the border to Indy is only an hour or so.
As I entered the Indianapolis city limits, I took the next exit and gassed up. I do this in order to check my map so I know where I’m going. Fortunately the convention center is only a few miles away.
And I made it. I’m in the JW Marriott Hotel just across from the convention center.
Turns out we have a room on the 29th floor. The view is pretty cool. Jon didn’t get in until well after Midnight and I was pretty zoned out by then.
